By

on January 15, 2015

The Milwaukee Brewers’ system has been on a steep decline since the team drafted college pitchers Taylor Jungmann and Jed Bradley with the Nos. 12 and 15 picks,respectively, in 2011. Both pitchers were expected to make quick work of the minor leagues and become fixtures in the big league rotation. Instead, Jungmann reached Triple-A for the first time last season, while Bradley enjoyed an overdue resurgence and reached Double-A after three seasons at High-A Brevard County.

However, as bad as those picks look in hindsight, the system does have upside at a few spots. Tyrone Taylor is a toolsy center fielder with excellent contact skills and power potential, while Orlando Arcia projects as an above-average defensive shortstop with the potential to surprise people with the bat. Both players are likely ticketed for Double-A next season.

Outfielder Monte Harrison received glowing reviews this summer during his professional debut, as the former three-sport standout showcased loud tools as well as surprisingly advanced baseball skills. Meanwhile, there’s a decent chance 17-year-old infielder Gilbert Lara, the recipient of a club-record international signing bonus in July, bypasses the Dominican Summer League and makes his stateside debut.

Devin Williams, the team's top pick in the 2013 draft, is an athletic right-hander with a lightning-quick arm and tons of potential. 2014 first-rounder KodiMedeiros is probably a reliever in pro ball but is also a lefty who can touch the mid-90s with deception and a plus slider. The Brewers also have a collection of potential midrotation arms between the High- and Double-A levels such as Taylor Williams, Tyler Wagner and Jorge Lopez, and they’re all coming off career-best performances last season.

By

on January 15, 2015

Unless you haven't been paying attention, it's prospect season for Major League Baseball here at Bleacher Report, where we have ranked all 30 farm systems and are working on rolling out the 10 best prospects for each individual club, too.

Next up? Selecting every team's most untouchable prospect. As in, the one youngster in each organization who is too valuable to go anywhere. In many—but not all—cases, this will be a franchise's No. 1 overall prospect. There are certainly, however, instances where other circumstances come into play and that does not apply.

Then again, in what has been a swap meet of an offseason, it wouldn't be a huge shock if one (or more) of these top players wind up being moved. But we'll make the case for why that shouldn't happen anytime soon.

By

on January 14, 2015

The Chicago Cubs graduated former top prospects Javier Baez and ArismendyAlcantara to the major leagues last season, but the organization still houses one of the best collections of young hitters in the game.

Kris Bryant continued to blow past all reasonable expectations with his performance at the Double- and Triple-A levels, as the 23-year-old slugger paced the minor leagues with 43 home runs and ranked among the league leaders in every other important category.

The Cubs added another impressive bat in Kyle Schwarber, whom they selected with the No. 4 overall pick in last year’s draft, and he rewarded the organization by reaching High-A Daytona in his professional debut. Furthermore, drafting Schwarber and signing him to an underslot bonus allowed the team to grab several promising arms in later rounds, including Jake Stinnett, Carson Sands, Justin Steele and Dylan Cease.

The Cubs also received a droolworthy prospect package from the A’s in the Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel trades, getting a top-10 overall prospect in shortstop Addison Russell as well as 2013 first-rounder Billy McKinney. Apparently, the fresh start was what the doctor ordered for Russell, as the 20-year-old put up monster numbers at Double-A Tennessee over the second half of the season. And while none of the team’s pitching prospects truly dominated last year, right-handers C.J. Edwards, Pierce Johnson and Duane Underwood each made strides developmentally and seem poised for big things next season.

By

on January 13, 2015

The once-stocked Cardinals system isn’t as strong as previous years, though that was to be expected after the team graduated Kolten Wong and Carlos Martinez to the major leagues last season and tragically lost a future star in Oscar Taveras.

Outfielder Stephen Piscotty didn't come into the system with a lot of hype but has really turned into an excellent player; dude can flat-out hit, and he’s likely to get his first crack at the major leagues in 2015. 2012 second-round pick Carson Kelly made significant strides in his ongoing transition from third baseman to catcher, while outfielder Charlie Tilson staked his claim one of the team’s top position prospects.

As usual, the Cardinals’ system is also loaded with high-ceiling arms in the lower levels of the minors.

Alex Reyes, a 20-year-old right-hander, has the best arm in the group behind a projectable 6'3", 185-pound frame, but he’s still learning how to harness his outstanding stuff and throw strikes. 2014 first-round pick Jack Flaherty opened eyes in his professional debut after signing, making it clear why the Cardinals seemed designed their draft strategy around landing the prep right-hander.

By

on January 13, 2015

The Cincinnati Reds' top prospects can be broken down into two groups: outfielders and pitchers.

As you might have guessed, the Reds don’t have a particularly balanced system due to a lack of infield prospects. However, that shouldn’t detract from the fact that they have several players with bright futures in the major leagues.

Outfielder Jesse Winker is the best hitter in the system, boasting a sweet left-handed swing with an excellent approach and above-average raw power, while Yorman Rodriguez got his feet wet with the Reds last September. Meanwhile, shortstop Alex Blandino, the only non-outfield position player on this list, made a strong impression in his professional debut, finishing the season at a full-season level.

The team’s top draft pick from last year, right-hander Nick Howard (No. 19 overall), will be a project as he transitions from college closer to full-time starter, although that’s also what everyone was saying at this time last year about right-hander Michael Lorenzen.

By

on January 12, 2015

The final week of 2014 saw Prospect Pipeline begin to roll out our annual team-specific top-10 prospect lists for the upcoming season, starting with the American League East.

Each list provides an in-depth look at one team's farm system, complete with player rankings, comprehensive scouting reports and projections, and a list of other notable prospects to follow closely next season.

Our ranking process is rooted in scouting, as we evaluate each player’s present tools and skills in order to project his overall future potential (commonly referred to “OFP”) in the major leagues. From there, we come up with a single OFP grade for each prospect—based on the 20 to 80 scouting scale, where 50 is average—and also assign him a specific risk level (low, medium, high, extreme) based on the likelihood of him achieving maximum potential. So, basically, the rankings aren’t based strictly on pure upside. For more information on our evaluation and projection processes, be sure to check out the “How They’re Ranked” slide at the front of each team’s list.

Previously, an index of completed teams was included at the end of each list. However, to make sure fans aren’t missing out on their favorite teams, we’ve decided to put together an organized directory to highlight each team’s prospect rankings for the 2015 season. Please note: All upcoming rankings will be linked to their corresponding teams in the index as soon as they're available.

By

on January 12, 2015

The Detroit Tigers have spent the last few years putting all their resources into the MLB club and ignoring the farm system. Therefore, while they’re winning at the highest level, the organization’s lack of impact talent and depth on the farm puts a lot of pressure on its big league roster to stay healthy.

It certainly didn’t help the state of Detroit’s system that it traded arguably its top three prospects before the July non-waiver deadline, with right-handers Jake Thompson and Corey Knebel going to Texas in the Joakim Soria deal, and highly touted 19-year-old shortstop Willy Adames going to Tampa Bay as part of the three-team trade for David Price.

The Tigers have continued to ship off prospects in trades this offseason, trading second baseman Devon Travis to the Blue Jays, Robbie Ray and Domingo Leyba to the Diamondbacks, and finally, right-hander Jonathan Crawford (and Eugenio Suarez) to the Reds.

However, pitching prospects Kevin Ziomek and Austin Kubitza, the team’s respective second- and fourth-round picks in 2013, are still in the picture, with both coming off equally successful seasons as part of Low-A West Michigan’s starting rotation.

By

on January 12, 2015

Heading into the 2014 season, it was almost a forgone conclusion that several of the Minnesota Twins’ top prospects would reach the major leagues. But that never happened.

Center fielder Byron Buxton, widely considered the sport’s top prospect, lost most of his highly anticipated campaign with a wrist injury and a concussion, while slugging third baseman Miguel Sano ultimately missed the entire season following Tommy John surgery.

The Twins’ first-round draft pick last year, Nick Gordon (Dee Gordon's brother and Flash Gordon's son), has a high ceiling as a true shortstop with a natural feel for hitting and the underrated strength to put the ball in gaps. The club also added several potential late-inning power arms in the draft in Nick Burdi, Michael Cederoth, Sam Clay and Jake Reed.

Beyond that, the Twins have an intriguing mix of high ceilings and depth on the mound, highlighted by hard-throwing right-handers Alex Meyer and Jose Berrios, both of whom are likely to reach the major leagues in 2015. Beyond that, the organization’s lower-level arms like Kohl Stewart, Lewis Thorpe and Stephen Gonsalves seem poised for breakout campaigns in 2015 and could end up being three of the more talked-about pitching prospects in the game by season’s end.

By

on January 12, 2015

The Chicago White Sox may not have many big names on the farm beyond Carlos Rodon and Tim Anderson, the team’s first-round draft picks from the last two years, respectively, but they’ve quietly developed a deep system featuring a combination of high-probability and high-ceiling prospects.

Right-hander Tyler Danish, 20, likely projects better as a reliever due to a sidearm delivery, but the uniqueness of his delivery and stuff allowed him to dominate older hitters this season between Low- and High-A. Right-hander Francellis Montas missed part of the season with a knee injury, but he sits in the upper 90s with his fastball and is incredibly difficult to barrel.

Outfielder Courtney Hawkins, the No. 13 overall pick in 2012, rebounded well from an overaggressive assignment to High-A last year with a more consistent performance in his second tour of the Carolina League. That being said, strikeouts are still an issue and probably always will be.

Third baseman Trey Michalczewski flew under the radar with a solid full-season debut, and the 19-year-old switch-hitting third baseman is a candidate for a breakout performance in 2014.

By

on January 12, 2015

The best way to describe Cleveland's farm system after the 2014 season is sneaky good. Though it's thin on pitching prospects (less so after this year's draft), the Tribe have assembled a promising collection of young hitters, including several who are either switch-hitters or swing from the left side of the plate exclusively and project to remain at an up-the-middle position long term.

Shortstop Francisco Lindor is an absolute wizard with the glove, and after the Tribe moved Asdrubal Cabrera at the trade deadline, the stage is now set for the 21-year-old to take over as the team's everyday shortstop in 2015. Outfielder Tyler Naquin, the No. 15 overall pick in 2013, continued to silence his skeptics this season with a strong offensive campaign in the Eastern League. The 23-year-old also made strides with his defense in center field, easing some of the concern about his ability to handle the position at higher levels.

The Tribe's top draft pick from 2013, Clint Frazier (No. 5 overall), had an up-and-down full-season debut at Low-A Lake County, but the 20-year-old red-headed outfielder showed improvement during the second half and finished with respectable numbers.

As for this year's draft class, the Indians added one of the top college bats in outfielder Bradley Zimmer (No. 21 overall), a high-probability left-hander in Justus Sheffield (No. 31), a polished (left-handed) college hitter in Mike Papi (No. 38) and a projectable right-hander in Grant Hockin (No. 61).

Edited By

Mike Rosenbaum

Mike Rosenbaum is B/R's MLB Prospects Lead Writer. A former college baseball player, he is the founder of The Golden Sombrero and also does prospect-related work for Rotoworld. He currently lives in New York.
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